Historic preservationists begged #Trump in October not to rapidly demolish the White House’s #EastWing annex for his #ballroom project, urging him to wait for federal review panels & allow the public to weigh in [begging & urging don’t work on him]. Now a group charged by #Congress with helping preserve historic buildings is asking a judge to block construction until those reviews occur, arguing the ongoing project is #illegal & #unconstitutional.

#law #HistoricLandmark #USHistory #conservation

The lawsuit from the nonprofit #NationalTrust for #HistoricPreservation, which was filed Friday in the US District Court for DC, represents the first major legal challenge to Trump’s planned 90,000-square-foot addition & is poised to test the limits of his #power. The organization argues that the admin failed to undergo legally required reviews or receive congressional authorization for the project, which #Trump has rushed to launch in hopes of completing it before his term ends in 2029.

#law

“No president is legally allowed to tear down portions of the White House without any review whatsoever — not President Trump, not President Joe Biden, & not anyone else,” the complaint says. [yeah, no shit. Too late.]

#Trump #law #WhiteHouse #EastWing #ballroom #HistoricLandmark #USHistory #conservation

#Trump has also maintained that he is not bound by typical building restrictions or the need to seek construction approvals, citing conversations with advisers and experts.

“They said, ‘Sir, this is the White House. You’re the president of the United States, you can do anything you want,’” Trump said at an October dinner to celebrate the ballroom’s donors.

#FactCheck #TrumpLies #law #WhiteHouse #EastWing #ballroom #HistoricLandmark #USHistory #conservation